1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an electrical safety device. More particularly, the invention relates to a temperature sensitive and controlled circuit interrupting device that is arranged to electrically disconnect a load from a power source with the occurrence of an over-temperature event associated with the delivery of power from the power source to the load.
2. Background of Related Art
The device of the present disclosure is configured with a relay that is operable between a closed position or closed state when the over-temperature problem area is sufficiently cooled, and an open position or open state when the temperature of the relay, or equivalently packaging the relay is housed in, is above a predetermined limit temperature. An over-temperature event of these devices may require manual resetting to again enable power to be coupled to a load. Manually resetting the load may require shutting off the power supplying the load.
However, with reference to conventional devices, the temperature controlled relay may only be electrically and/or mechanically coupled to a ‘hot’ or power sourcing conductor. Accordingly, there is a possibility that heat generated by other conductors (or related structures and current carrying means) may not be appropriately sensed due to their physical location and possibly due to the nature of the electrical connections of the temperature controlled relay. It is important to understand that when referring to the sensing of heat produced by the flow of heat, such sensing may be realized in several possible ways. Namely, either by indirect thermal conduction through convection or heat flow through a non-current carrying thermal conductor or through a direct coupling.
Therefore, when considering conventional circuit interrupters, there is currently lacking a simple and cost effective arrangement to thermally sense and monitor the heat produced by any of a plurality of current carrying means (e.g., conductors, female prongs, terminal screws, etc.) to determine if the temperature of any one of said means has risen above a predetermined limit. For example, an elevated temperature level may be caused by a poorly formed resistive contact and/or an excessive current flow of a neutral conductor or a ground, or even a high resistance grounding condition.
It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to effect the coupling of a load to a suitable power source, or alternately, to disconnect the load from the power source should an ‘over-temperature’ (and/or over-current) event associated with the delivery of power from the power source to the load occur.